MPs hit out at JobCentres cull

Anger at ‘incoherent and secretive’ planning that will see 22 closed

PLANS to shut more than 20 JobCentres across Scotland, including half of the offices in Glasgow, showed a lack of clear planning and must be reviewed, according to a report by MPs.

They criticised the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) strategy of staggering the closure announcements, describing it as “poorly thought out” causing needless uncertainty among staff and job hunters.

The report by the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee said lessons must be learned from the controversy.

The end of the 20-year Private Finance Initiative contract, under which JobCentre Plus premises were leased, provided an opportunity for a comprehensive review of how the service could be modernised, best suit the needs of users and provide value for money, they said.

Current proposals, that would involve the closure of eight of the 16 offices in Glasgow plus a further 14 across Scotland, demonstrate “a lack of strategic thinking and would not provide an adequate service”, the MPs said.

The committee said it was disappointed the Scottish Government had not been consulted at all before the decision was made and Employability and Training Minister Minister confirmed he had found out about the closures “through the newspapers”.

Some Glasgow MPs had said they only found out about the planned closures in the city through a Department for Work and Pensions whistleblower.

In February, MSPs voted by 91 to 30 to voice “concern” about the impact of the closures across the country.

The committee has now recommended that as a large proportion of welfare policy is devolved, any future policy decision that impact on the way social security is administered in Scotland must be taken in consultation with the Scottish Government.

The group said the Government appeared only to have considered which current sites were expendable and did not look at how a comprehensive service could be provided for an area.

A “holistic” approach would almost certainly indicate the need for new Jobcentres near transport hubs, however only closures of existing services have been proposed, they said.

“The Government has to show more ambition and dexterity to create an effective JobCentre network,” the committee said.

They called for a full and proper evaluation of JobCentre Plus provision in Glasgow.

The committee also called for the creation of a large city centre job centre with a small number of additional offices.

A DWP spokesman said: “This is about improving the services we deliver, while making best use of taxpayers’ money.

“We are in the process of consulting staff, and final decisions will be made after that is completed.”